Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy

August 16, 2004
Lucas was 27, happily working as a 20/20
producer, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Suddenly, her world became a blur of appointments with surgeons and emotional breakdowns. Her book's catchy title belies its substantial content: this is an honest, perceptive memoir from a feisty survivor who's willing to discuss every detail, like getting sick in cabs during chemo treatments, baldness and sex. In fact, the book opens with Lucas, who's now 36, recounting her visit to a New York topless bar as she agonizes over losing a breast and contemplates reconstructive surgery. Lucas doesn't dismiss her fears; she talks about wanting to have a child and how her husband withdraws when so many other people step in to provide her with emotional support. What makes her memoir so moving is the author's breezy style and her focus on the daily details of her illness ("I am in the shower, and when I start lathering my comb-over, most of it stays in my hands. The big patches of hair just come out. No warning"). The story of Lucas's recovery, and of the birth of her daughter, make her book surprisingly optimistic and immensely empowering. Agent, Joëlle Delbourgo. (Oct. 14)

Forecast:
Sales will get a boost from fashion designer Betsey Johnson's T-shirt celebrating Lucas's book, Stila's "Geralyn" lipstick, and promotions with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Young Survival Coalition. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.